The CAT room!

Ah, Roberta! The voice of feline reason! Never, ever too late!

The soundless vibrating purr!
Of course! I've had cats who've done that!
Purring, but to a different drum!

You asked how everyone is going, Roberta. Well, I'm on holiday (phew!) & have just taken Flatty to the vet (he knows me so well that these days he treats Flatty over the phone, usually. ) & I've just spent another chunk of my life savings for his next lot of treatment. I was concerned & asked the vet about what the constant drug treatment was doing to Flatty's kidneys. The answer was fairly blunt, I guess. "He would have been long gone without them." Yes, yes, I know ...... So Flatty's picked up again, which is a big relief. He's very happy to see more of me & right now he is sleeping contentedly on his own special spot on the back verandah. Spring is here.

msolga, Relax and enjoy your vacation. Glad that the Flat cat is doing well, even if it's costing you an arm and a leg. Hey, you've got more of each.

I'm waiting for a paycheck to arrive before I take Mikey back to the vet. He seems to be okay, but what's okay with Mikey? Hard to know.

I was watching a show on Animal Planet--The Most Extreme. The topic of the show was the planet's strongest animals. Before they got to announce the number 1 strongest animal, I said to the TV, "It's Mikey." I was remembering the time he moved the sofa. I was wrong. It was the rhinoceros beetle. Go figure.

But how does he seem to be to you, Roberta? Picking up again & getting back to his normal stroppy self after his tests? Oh, I do hope so.

He seems a bit hyper to me. What with his hyperthyroid condition, that's to be expected. But I'm not sure whether it's the condition or the fact that I'm more active that he's reacting to.

Thought long and hard about the destructive forces of felines after the peed-on rug discussion. Although I strongly believe that there's no malice in what cat's do (in what animals do), I have to wonder when it comes to my late lamented Miranda. She single-pawedly destroyed an entire apartment:

swivel rocker: No matter what I did to protect that chair, I'd come home from work and find it tipped over on its back. It finally stopped swiveling and rocking and became impossible to sit in.

couch: She used my sofa as a scratching post. I replaced it with something with fabric I thought would be uninteresting to cats.

stereo: She jumped on it once too often.

pottery planters/plants: She knocked the planters over and broke them. When I replaced the remaining few with plastic, she focused on the plants.

knick knacks: All breakable knick knacks were smashed--one at a time. I put the survivors in a carton in the closet and kept out only metallic knick knacks. I bought a lovely pewter pitcher in Norway. Miranda knocked it over many times until it finally got dented. Once dented, she lost interest.

clothing: Miranda liked to swing from the clothing hanging in my closet. I closed the closet door. She'd open it. I'd close the door and put stuff in front of it. She'd move the stuff, open the door, and swing.

Estimated cost of feline destructor:

chair: $300
sofa (replacement): $1,800
stereo: $250
planters, knick knacks, etc.: $300
wardrobe: $1,000

Total: $3,650

Cost of cat (gotten at the local ASPCA): $5

C'est la vie. I loved dat cat.

Gosh, Roberta, Miranda was a feline whirlwind!
She did all this when you were out? Protest, perhaps?

So he was a lot more subdued when you were unwell? Really tricky, isn't it Roberta, trying to work out exactly what's causing what? Give him a big hug from me, anyway.

msolga, Yes, all of Miranda's destructiveness occurred when I was at work. Don't know whether it was a protest or just boredom. The lot of an indoor cat is not an easy one.

I'm not speaking with Mikey at the moment. When we make up, I'll give him a hug from you. (Not even a little embarrassed to admit that I'm mad at my cat.)

oh dear what's he done now?


those collars and little bells seem to be working - not a bird caught since and they've got used to them. I wish I didn't have to put them on but the wildlife is a lot safer now.

Miranda sounds a little madam!

My daughter's cat wakes her in the morning (a difficult thing to do) by patting her cheek - if that doesn't work she pats the cheek with claws out - that usually works! but if daughter doesn't want to get up and dives under the bedclothes then the cat sits and knocks items off the bedside table one by one until she gives in.

She also waits for her to go downstairs in the mornings - partner gets up and goes down first and puts out her breakfast but she won't go down until daughter is ready - if she's too long in the bathroom she gets a very cross, very loud miaow to tell her to hurry up!

Vivien, Glad to hear that the bells are working and are nonintrusive.

I wrote a couple of poems that describe Miranda:

If Miranda were a person,
She'd be a JAP.
Perfect hair,
Perfect nails,
And a cleaning lady--me.

(BTW, JAP stands for Jewish American princess.)

Miranda is a beautiful cat.
Her coat is black and glossy.
Eyes, green.
Feet, white.
Personality, bossy.

What did Mikey do now? He's taken to meowing just as I'm about to fall asleep. Last night when I tried to put him out of the bedroom, he refused to go. I wrapped him in the top sheet and dumped him outside the door. Then I shut the door and put something heavy in front of it. But I was too agitated to sleep, so I came out to try to relax. Relaxed and went back in. The monster snuck in and jumped on the bed. I shooed him away. He wouldn't go. When I started to wrap him in the sheet again, he took a major bite out of my arm.

I ministered to the wound, tried to relax--again. And managed finally to get into the bedroom with Mikey outside. Shut the door, moved the heavy stuff in front of the door, and went to sleep.

Now we're not speaking. (Big sigh)

Yeah, Roberta, put that hug on hold for a bit! :wink:

Well guys, I guess Paddy isn't as bad as I thought.

Lacey was here for a week, Paddy terrorized her the entire time ... once in awhile I caught them kissing, but most of the time I caught him trying to jump her!

Poor little Lacey, she's such a little dote!

No matter what I did to Paddy, he would still harrass her ... I would shake my finger at him, tell him he's next on the list to go, and he was headed back to the "bad cat farm" ... he just looked at me as if to say "how can you talk to me like that?"

So, Lacey finally went home, and Paddy never even blinked. He's such a terror, and such a bully ... he's not even a lap cat, and that's after 3 years of mooching off me, he still won't jump up on the couch! What's up with that?

Anyway, caught him tonight trying to eat a chamelion ... I picked him up and shook him, tried to throw him out on the porch, but he ran back in so fast I had to do it all over again ... then lickety split, got a glass and picked up the little tyke, and placed him outside under a hedge.

Whew!

You know what worries me about these little critters, some of them are deadly to cats! That's scary!

Roberta, great to see you back girl!

I'm confused over this business of Paddy terrorizing Lacey, Misti. I mean, didn't they grow up together? Travel together in the car on holidays? I thought they were great mates. Has this state of affairs developed since Rae moved house? Anyway, I hope you were very stern with him, the little bully! :wink:

Misti, Picture this: Paddy and Mikey --together!

Glad you saved the chameleon. Glad Lacey is home safe and away from your monster. BTW, Mikey is also not a lap cat, but he does come up on the couch.

loved the Miranda poem Roberta

and the Mikey saga - little monster

Our Paddy doesn't change - out playing or in sleeping with only a couple of minutes to spare for us in a day - he does love himself and gives him slightly more time.

He thinks a few blinks and a purr very occasionally ought to be quite enough to keep the staff happy ... no JAP but a little rover, the gambling, drinking, out all night and sleep all day bachelor

Misti your Paddy is a little Monster! poor Lacey and jealous Paddy - but he is beautiful

for Roberta and Msolga in particular

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The image in the second illustration resonates STRONGLY. Could almost be a photo.

Thanks for that. It made me smile.

And thanks from me, too, Vivien.
I'm smiling, too.
And I'm wondering if that's one of your drawings ....

sadly no - it's from a gorgeous little book my daughter bought me one Christmas full of advice to cats.

It just seemed the right moment to share

Nice!

Just had tres weird experience.

I was watching a documentary about James Dean, cats peacefully snuggling with me.


Miranda becomes restless, as the first long scene with just Dean in it (a screen test) comes on, she utterly freaks, scratches Oscar and I struggling to get away, is seen in corner of room, tail fluffed to maximum, gazing in fear at TV screen from afar....


Gradyally, with encouragement, comes back, gazes in fear at screen, moves closer, until nose almost touching it, gradually sort of settles, but leaps with fear at every new sound and movement. Still unusually jumpy, even now.